INFLUENCE OF ANTHRACNOSE EPIPHYTOTIC DEVELOPMENT ON STRAWBERRY FRUIT PRODUCTION IN HUELVA (SOUTHWESTERN SPAIN)

Strawberry anthracnose is one of the most important disease in strawberry breeding because of its influence on crop profitability.
In Huelva (South-western Spain), it was first detected causing fruiting rot, in 1987. Later, the pathogen (Colletotrichum acutatum) infected the crown of the strawberry plants causing crown rot.
We have studied the symptoms development and expression in fruiting fields and the relationship with breeding state and weather conditions.
The symptoms are similar to other authors’ descriptions, only lesions are different on leaves and roots; rarely showing on stolons and petioles.
Mortality of plants in fruiting fields depends on the infecting process before transplanting; incidence of fruit rot is higher when plants are infected.
Yield decreases with the increase of anthracnose disease.
Crown rot and death of plants begins a few days after plants are transplanted, it is rare during flowering or fruiting; and increases when the plants produce stolons.
Temperatures over 24°C and high relative humidity favour disease development.

IV International Strawberry Symposium

B. de los Santos García de Paredes, F. Romero Muñoz

Colletotrichum acutatum, epidemiology, symptoms

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.567.134